© 2020 Authors. Center for Study of Religion and Religious Tolerance, Belgrade, Serbia.This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License Piotr Burgoński1 Original scientific paper Cardinal Stefan Wyszyński University UDC 327:2(438) Poland RELIGION AND POLISH FOREING POLICY IN THE XXI CENTURY Abstract The purpose of this paper is to draw a map of the essential points of contact between religion and foreign policy in Poland during 2001-2020. The analytic studies have shown that the relationships between religion and Polish foreign policy could be observed in all the dimensions mentioned by the theoretical ap- proaches, i.e. in the dimension of influence of religious ideas, religious entities and institutions, in the field of presence of religious elements on the agenda of foreign policy, and with reference to religious diplomacy. The impact of religious ideas was limited to the generally interpreted Christianity. Religious entities would strongly prefer to exert their influence from the level of meta-politics than to do this by direct means. Among all the institutions, only the electoral system played a relatively significant role in the introduction of religious components to foreign policy, yet only in the initial period. The presence of religious elements on the agenda of the foreign policy was not permanent and was actually limited to a few initiatives. Similarly, religious diplomacy does not seem to be a methodology that is deeply rooted in Poland’s political culture, and it is not really accepted by the religious entities. Keywords: Poland, religion, Christianity, religious actors, foreign policy, po- litical agenda, religious diplomacy Introduction The research papers in the field of political studies and international rela- tions, published during the recent 10+ years, indicate the growing number and importance of religious actors on the international stage and higher awareness of the fact that religion has established its position for good in certain political cir- cles. Until recently, researchers would focus on studying the role of the religious factor in international relations, military conflicts, building peace and activities of international organizations. For several years, their area of interest has been ex- panded with foreign policy. The primary point of interest for research in the field is the state and the role of religion in forming the state’s foreign policy. Analytic 1 Researcher and Lecturer at the Institute of Political Science and Public Administration, Cardinal Stefan Wyszyński University in Warsaw, Poland. Contact E-mail: [email protected] POLITOLOGY OF RELIGION IN POLAND 337 ПОЛИТИКОЛОГИЈА РЕЛИГИЈЕ бр. 2/2020 год XIV• POLITICS AND RELIGION • POLITOLOGIE DES RELIGIONS • Nº 2/2020 Vol. XIV studies focus on domestic state and non-state actors, as well as entities located outside the state which affect the state’s foreign policy. This research covers all the areas in which a state’s foreign policy is created and developed2. The follow- ing researchers are among the most significant ones working in the field: Thomas J. Carty3, Jeffrey Haynes4, Walter Russell Mead5, John J. Mearsheimer, Stephen M. Walt6, Jack Miles7, Carolyn M. Warner, and Stephen G. Walker8. Their studies focus on those states where religion has a significant effect on foreign policies: United States, India, and Iran. The presence of the religious factor can also be noticed in Poland’s foreign policy. Studies on this fact are, however, at a very early stage right now. The only papers in the field which can be referenced here are the studies by Alic- ja Curanović, aimed at defining the role of religion in the development of the geopolitical frame of reference used by Poland in its relationships with Russia9, and the papers by Piotr Pochyły and Jarosław Macała. The former focused on the declarative expressions of religious affiliation of the Polish state in the field of foreign policy10, the latter on the role of religion in the Polish geopolitical codes functioning in foreign policy11. This paper expands the field of research, with the objective of answering the following questions: what impact religion had on the Polish foreign policy; which measures were implemented within the framework of that policy involving religion as their objects; and which measures met the criteria of religious diplomacy. Through the achievement of that goal, we will ar- rive at a map of the key points of contact between religion and the Polish foreign policy. The analytic studies cover the period of 2001-2020, i.e. the time during which, following the 11 September 2001 events, the religious factor increased in significance, until the present day. In this paper, the religious factor should be interpreted as the impact of religious ideas, the activity of religious institutions (organizations) and people with religious motivations who act individually or in 2 Nukhet A. Sandal, “Religion and foreign policy”, in: Routledge Handbook of Religion and Politics, Jeffrey Haynes (ed.), 2nd Edition, Routledge, London & New York, 2016, pp. 284-285. 3 Thomas J. Carty, John Kennedy, religion, and foreign policy, The Review of Faith & International Affairs, No. 4, Vol. 9, 2011, pp. 51-59. 4 Jeffrey Haynes, “Religion and foreign policy”, in: Routledge Handbook of Religion and Politics, Jeffrey Haynes (ed.), Routledge, London & New York, 2009, pp. 293-307. 5 Walter Russell Mead, God’s Country?, Foreign Affairs, No. 5, Vol. 85, 2006, pp. 24-43. 6 John J. Mearsheimer, Stephen M. Walt, The Israel Lobby and U.S. Foreign Policy, Farrar, Straus and Giroux, New York, 2007. 7 Jack Miles, Religion and American foreign policy, Survival, No. 1, Vol. 46, 2004, pp. 23-37. 8 Carolyn M. Warner, Stephen G. Walker, Thinking about the Role of Religion in Foreign Policy: A Framework for Analysis, Foreign Policy Analysis, Vol. 7, No. 1, 2011, pp. 113-135. 9 Alicja Curanović, „Geopolityka religii w stosunkach polsko-rosyjskich”, in: Geopolityka w stosunkach polsko-rosyjskich, Stanisław Bieleń, Andrzej Skrzypek (ed.), Oficyna Wydawnicza ASPRA-JR, Wydział Dziennikarstwa i Nauk Politycznych Uniwersytetu Warszawskiego, Warszawa, 2012, pp. 123-143. 10 Piotr Pochyły, „Deklaratywne wyrazy religijności III RP w exposé ministrów spraw zagranicznych”, in: Polityka jako wyraz lub następstwo religijności, Ryszard Michalak (ed.), Wydawnictwo Morpho, Zielona Góra, 2015, pp. 401-410. 11 Jarosław Macała, Religia w polskich kodach geopolitycznych w latach 1990-2017 na przykładzie informacji ministrów spraw zagranicznych o polityce zagranicznej Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej, Przegląd Religioznawczy, Vol. 265, No. 3, 2017, pp. 23-43. 338 ПОЛИТИКОЛОГИЈА РЕЛИГИЈЕ У ПОЉСКОЈ Piotr Burgoński, RELIGION AND POLISH FOREING POLICY IN THE XXI CENTURY • (pp 337-359) groups. Foreign policy is defined here as the state’s formal policy concerning the military, economic, humanitarian, social and cultural dimensions of its relations with other countries and with international actors. The studies were carried out on the basis of Government documents, official statements by representatives of the Polish Government, documents issued by various religious entities, press coverage, and literature on the subject. Following the theoretical context pre- sented in Section 1 of the article, the following sections will analyze the ways in which religion influences the Polish foreign policy, religion as the object of that policy, and measures constituting the Polish foreign policy which meet the crite- ria of religious diplomacy. Theoretical perspectives Within the framework of political studies, research of the links between re- ligion and a state’s foreign policy focus on the three following issues: the im- pact of religion on foreign policy; religion as the object of foreign policy; and religious diplomacy. Research on the impact of religion on foreign policy12 are aimed at demonstrating that religion is relevant as a variable that helps the ex- planation or understanding of the state’s foreign policy (why certain decisions were taken regarding specific goals, measures, etc.); moreover, they try to dis- cover the mechanisms of the impact of religion and the circumstances in which the process operates. Interesting studies in the field were conducted by Carolyn M. Warner and Stephen G. Walker, who proposed an analytical frame applicable on the grounds of the four international relations theories: realism, liberalism, institutionalism, and constructivism. The frame encompasses the following six dimensions of analysis: foreign policy; agents (subjective causality); power; inter- ests; institutions; and ideas (culture). Warner and Walker came to the conclusion that if religion is expected to produce a visible effect in foreign policy, its influ- ence, whether direct or indirectly, via culture, must encompass the beliefs and intentions of agents operating in that policy’s domain. Moreover, the impact of religion on foreign policy can be mediated by institutions (organizations, state structures) or interests (of political parties, groups, the general public); it can be integrated with the force the state has in its specific geopolitical position13. On the grounds of realism, where an anarchic nature of international rela- tions is presumed, meaning that every state is pursuing its survival, i.e. protection 12 The impact of religion can be presented in either of the two ways: in terms of cause-and-effect relations (whenever a specific